📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement

🗓️ Basic and Custom Practice Plans: Get more organized with your practice at joshnicholsgolf.com/practice

🎓 The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

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What if your pain wasn’t just a body problem, but a brain and golf problem? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Carly Hunt—Mid-Am Golfer/Pain Psychologist and author of Train Your Brain to Beat Chronic Pain—to talk about how golf can both ease and amplify pain, why “it’s all in your head” is a terrible (and wrong) message, and how the brain’s alarm system actually works. We get into practical tools for playing with ongoing pain, navigating fear of re-injury, dealing with the identity grief of not being the golfer you used to be, and how to shift from fighting your body to working with it so you can keep playing the game you love.

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Mentioned in the episode:

Carly Hunt's Book: Train Your Brain to Beat Chronic Pain: How to Harness the Power of the Mind-Body Connection - https://www.amazon.com/Train-Your-Brain-Beat-Chronic/dp/1462558526

Pain Reprocessing Therapy - https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com

The Pain Psychology Center - https://painpsychologycenter.com/therapy-techniques

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📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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🎓 The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

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How do you lean in when the round of golf starts going sideways? It’s so easy to eject mentally and just go through the motions.

Let's dive into the concept of Exposure Therapy as a tool to build your mental resilience.

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FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement

📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Basic and Custom Practice Plans: Get more organized with your practice at joshnicholsgolf.com.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement

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Paul Salter joins The Mental Golf Show (for the second time). Paul is a mindset and performance coach who uses hypnosis to help his clients get unstuck, uncover their edge, and unlock their potential.

We cover these topics:

The Commitment to Golf Mastery The Power of Language in Self-Talk Building Confidence Through Action Understanding Fear and Success The Role of Beliefs in Performance Unlearning Limiting Beliefs Navigating Fear and Anxiety in Golf The Art of Unlearning for Success The Pressure of Expectations The Secret to Consistent Success The Secret to Extraordinary Success Challenging Societal Norms and Rules The Balance Between Success and Fulfillment Identity and Performance in Sports Communication and Relationships in Golf and Life

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Paul Salter's Links:

The Scratch Golfer's Mindset podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Instagram - thegolfhypnotherapist

Website - thegolfhypnotherapist.com

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Get more from Josh Nichols:

The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Basic and Custom Practice Plans: Get more organized with your practice at joshnicholsgolf.com.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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Most of us don't have caddies helping us get fully committed to shots, so we have to be our own caddies. Learning how to be your own caddie effectively can give you a huge advantage over your opponents and your own unhelpful tendencies.

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The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

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Get more from Josh Nichols:

📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Basic and Custom Practice Plans: Get more organized with your practice at joshnicholsgolf.com.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

Mental Game Assessment: Free assessment at joshnicholsgolf.com to identify strengths and improvement areas.

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Dr. Doug Tataryn is the founder of the Bio-Emotive Framework. And we get into things like integral theory, the Four Facets Model of Human Transformation, and the effects of your childhood experiences on your worldview.

But, and this is very important, Dr. Doug is very good at grounding these abstract topics back to golf. And I’d like to think that I represent you, the listener, in being relatively new, if not completely ignorant of these concepts. Hopefully I do you justice and ask the questions you might ask.

Dr. Doug's links:

Read (and sign up for) Dr. Tataryn's Substack: https://drdougbioemotive.substack.com/p/fairways-of-the-mind-worldviews-intro

The Bio-Emotive Website: https://bioemotiveframework.com/

Sign up for Dr. Tataryn's "Fairways of the Mind" online offerings to improve your Golf Psychology: https://mailchi.mp/bioemotiveframework.com/fairwaysofthemind

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Topics Covered:

• The Universality of Golf and Mental Game
• Introduction to the Four Facets of Human Experience
• Understanding the Four Facets Framework
• The Role of Emotional Processing in Golf
• Disidentification and Its Impact on Performance
• The Interplay of Childhood Experiences and Golf
• Balancing the Four Facets for Optimal Performance
• Real-Life Applications of the Four Facets
• The Relationship Between Golf and Personal Growth
• Navigating Feelings of Inadequacy in Golf
• The Quest for Balance in Golf and Life
• Emotional Holes and Compulsive Behavior
• Worldviews and Personal Growth
• Pattern Recognition and Ego Deconstruction
• Vision, Motivation, and Emotional Conditioning
• Exploring Regret and Self-Betrayal
• Embracing Current Reality
• Betrayal vs. Abandonment
• Core Feelings and Emotional Depth
• Vision for Success and Loneliness
• Reframing Isolation in Golf
• Worldviews and Emotional Reactions

Special guest Coach Bruce Chalas and I talk all about college golf, the psychological demands of college golf, and the recruiting process for junior golfers. So if you’re a junior golfer, college player, a parent of one, or a coach helping players navigate this stage, this one’s for you.

And even if you’re not in that world, it’s still a really cool peek behind the curtain at how high-level players get noticed, develop, and play great golf under pressure.

Bruce Chalas is the head coach of the Boston University women’s golf team and he’s been there for 17 years.

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Junior Girls Golf Clinic: https://bostonuniversitygirlsgolfclinic.com/

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📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

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Get more from Josh Nichols:

The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Custom Weekly Practice Plan: Hand-built plans based on your stats and schedule at joshnicholsgolf.com.

Mental Game Assessment: Free assessment at joshnicholsgolf.com to identify strengths and improvement areas.

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Special thanks to Titleist for their support of The Mental Golf Show. Join Team Titleist here.

Welcome to Episode 3 of the FundaMENTALS series, where Josh Nichols will be walking through the core components of a good mental game.

This week: Handling Pressure

On this episode, I want to talk about that feeling in your chest, that slight tremor in your hands, that racing thought pattern that can suddenly appear when the stakes feel higher. Something that every golfer deals with on the course, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned tournament player, and whether you realize it or not: pressure.

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📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

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Get more from Josh Nichols:

The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Custom Weekly Practice Plan: Hand-built plans based on your stats and schedule at joshnicholsgolf.com.

Mental Game Assessment: Free assessment at joshnicholsgolf.com to identify strengths and improvement areas.

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Special thanks to Titleist for their support of The Mental Golf Show. Join Team Titleist here.

In this episode, I sit down with Jayne Storey for a deep conversation about golf, performance, and the inner life of an athlete. Jayne brings decades of experience in meditation, movement, and spiritual practice.

Golf feels hard when you’re trying to control every move. So we dig into how letting go leads to freedom and flow on the course. If you’re tired of grinding and want to just feel golf again, this is the conversation you need.

Thanks to Jayne for the thoughtful exploration of how golf can open the door to something far greater than just the game itself.

Topics discussed:

1. Golf as a Spiritual Practice – beyond the game and into self-expression

2. Sri Aurobindo’s Teachings – spirit, matter, and the athletic body

3. Scheffler’s Search for Fulfillment – dissatisfaction and meaning in sport

4. Flow and Meditation – entering the state where golf plays itself

5. Jayne’s Journey Through Movement Arts – Tai Chi, yoga, and swimming

6. Chi Energy in Sport – subtle awareness and performance

7. Relaxed Readiness – the paradox of being loose yet prepared

8. Getting Out of Your Own Way – surrendering to the swing

9. Ego on the Course – tension, fear, and the desire to succeed

10. Vigilant Passivity – alert presence without interference

11. Trusting the Body – allowing skill to emerge naturally

12. Equanimity Under Pressure – calmness when it matters most

13. Practices for Presence – meditation, grounding, and soft focus

14. Gratitude and Devotion – embracing golf as a higher offering

15. The Spiritual Horizon of Sport – where performance meets transcendence

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Jayne Storey's links:

Website: chi-performance.com

Books: chi-performance.com/books

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📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

-----

Get more from Josh Nichols:

The Perfect Pre-shot Routine digital course: Dial in your pre-shot routine here.

PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

Custom Weekly Practice Plan: Hand-built plans based on your stats and schedule at joshnicholsgolf.com.

Mental Game Assessment: Free assessment at joshnicholsgolf.com to identify strengths and improvement areas.

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Special thanks to Titleist for their support of The Mental Golf Show. Join Team Titleist here.